Our Mission

The crisis of the modern world is a crisis of magnanimity, a crisis of greatness. Consumerism and moral relativism have spawned generations of small, self-centered people on the make: creatures without a past, without a homeland, without family and without God.

We must stop this process of zombification of the human being. We must re-establish the human person. We must lift up our heads, affirm our dignity, and discover the greatness for which God created us.

Our mission is to ignite hearts for greatness, to raise up a new generation of Virtuous Leaders empowered to transform Life – business, family and culture – and spread a vision of leadership which is consistent with the highest demands of human nature and the noblest aspirations of the human heart.

About us

The Virtuous Leadership Institute is made up of professionals from a variety of walks of life in many countries. Together, they constitute an international movement devoted to empowering men and women of character to transform the world.

The Virtuous Leadership Institute was founded in Russia. It has branches in Belgium, China, Finland, France, Guatemala, Lebanon, Portugal, Kenya, Spain and the United States. Local Virtuous Leadership Institutes are independent organizations which actively collaborate with one another.

Alexander Havard

Alexander Havard is the founder of the Virtuous Leadership System. He was born and raised in Paris, and is a graduate of one of France’s leading law schools (Paris Descartes University). He worked as a lawyer in Europe (Paris, Strasbourg, Helsinki) for many years before discovering his mission to ignite hearts for greatness and work to raise up a new generation of Virtuous Leaders. His books “Virtuous Leadership”, “Created for Greatness” and “From Temperament to Character” have been translated into 20 languages. Alexander now works in Moscow. He is the grandson of Russian emigrants who fled Saint Petersburg during the Bolshevik Revolution.

Our Definition of Leadership

Leadership is about achieving greatness by bringing out the greatness in others.

Management is about getting things done. Leadership is about helping people grow.

True greatness is not about conquering an empire. It is about human, spiritual growth.

Greatness is the result of the practice of the virtue of magnanimity; service is the result of the practice of the virtue of humility.

Leadership is a way of being, which can be lived by everyone no matter his or her place in society or in any given organization. Leadership is not about rank or position or being on top of the heap. Leadership is not reserved for the elite. It is a vocation not of the few, but of the many.

Our System

Virtuous leadership is the first systematic and holistic approach to leadership from the point of view of aretology, which is the science of the virtues developed by the Ancient Greeks.

Virtue is more than a value. It is a dynamic force which allows us not only to achieve human excellence, but also to become effective as human beings. Virtue means excellence in being (aretē, in Greek) and effectiveness in action (virtus, in Latin).

Virtue makes you an effective human being, because it gives you a specific spiritual power: the power to make right decisions, to stay the course, to run risks, to energize your passions and direct them to the fulﬁllment of the mission at hand, to give people their due and communicate effectively, to achieve great things and serve people by bringing out the greatness in them.

The virtues of prudence (practical wisdom), courage, self-control and justice constitute the foundations of leadership, and the virtues of magnanimity (greatness) and humility (service) constitute its essence.

Virtue is a habit acquired through practice. Leadership is a question of character (virtue, freedom, growth) and not of temperament (biology, conditioning, stagnation). Leaders are trained, not born.

Leadership is a life ideal, which recognizes, assimilates and propagates the truth about man.

They said about us

“I found Virtuous Leadership a fascinating book that goes straight to the heart of the matter: we need to base our decisions on reality and the essence of reality is man himself.”Francois Michelin, CEO of Group Michelin (1955-1999)

“Virtuous Leadership is a timeless book. After you read it, you will find yourself citing its many brilliant phrases without even realizing it.”Sari Essayah, World Champion in Women’s Race Walking (1993)

“In a complicated world, simplicity is priceless. Virtuous Leadership is full of brilliant insights. It is highly topical and relevant.”Timo Soini, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs (since 2015).

“Somebody has finally written a book about virtue for those engaged in the business world. Too many books spill out of the presses on being effective, on getting your way, on making big bucks quick. This book should be in every airport across Europe and America! (And ditch all the other quick-read, make-million business books that litter the bookstore shelves.)Benjamin D. Wiker, Author of A Meaningful World, 2006.

“Alexandre Havard’s Virtuous Leadership is a book long-needed on every level of public life in the developed nations. A vitally important and timely book.”Michael D. O’Brien, Author of Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (1996).

“Alex Havard’s Virtuous Leadership, a plea to return to the classical virtues, reflects the ongoing resurgence in appreciation for the wisdom of the ancient Greeks, which served humanity well for two millennia. I highly recommend this life-changing read.”Lee Deremer Colonel, USAF, Professor of Ethics and Strategic Leadership (2007-2008).